Generations of Irish have fled historical, social and economic tribulations at home by following the flight path of ‘The Wild Geese’ abroad. This has often been at great personal and family sacrifice, collectively showing great physical bravery, all-too-human vulnerability, and sometimes remarkable moral courage, from the Irish Brigades of Continental Europe to the San Patricio Brigade of Mexico, from the US Civil War to the Spanish Civil War, in wars of personal commitment, of international political catastrophes that devoured entire generations of the young, and in modern missions of mercy with the United Nations.
In acknowledgement of this… Ireland as a whole – from this island to its global diaspora – should create its own inclusive symbols to commemorate this and remember such a legacy that are not merely derivative of another nation’s officially crafted attitude to one particular war.